Needless to say it was a rough start to 2018, but we carry on. As law enforcement officers we have been called into a profession that isn’t for everyone. We experience tragic situations on a regular basis. We see people in crisis and when they are not at their best. We also apparently have some mystical power that even though we are doing nothing but driving from “point A to point B,” we can somehow magically instill a feeling of guilt or fear in people by just by driving behind them. Yet we are just regular people who go to work every day just like everyone else. We laugh and joke, put our pants on one leg at a time, and look forward to spending time with our friends and family. Yet we are still different. There is something about the car and uniform that makes law enforcement mysterious. That mystery then translates into the “unknown” and that which isn’t known is often thought of as “frightening.”

Unfortunately, as I’m all too well aware, some people are afraid of law enforcement. Some for good reasons and some for none at all. Even though some people have never had an encounter with a cop, people simply assume the worst. They’ve heard about the actions of a single officer, in a faraway state, and automatically assume that we are all the same. Or they were once told by a parent that if they ever did “anything bad,” the cops would come and take them away. It seems we’ve been painted with a “bad” brush for far too long. It is now my intent to help change that! I want you to see us for who we are and meet YOUR local law enforcement.

Starting next month, the Edgewood Police Department will be hosting another Community Academy program. Many of you took the time to attend our evening program last fall and we’re offering it again. The information will be fairly similar to what we shared last time but the day and times will be different. We’ll be meeting Tuesday afternoons from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. at the Edgewood City Hall.

If you want to know who we are, check us out. If you want to know why we do the things we do or say the things we say, sign up for this class. If you want to know how we do things, register soon!

I want you to get to know US. I want you to learn about your police department and eliminate whatever mystery there is. There should be no fear of law enforcement as we are all on the same team and need to work together to accomplish our task of creating a safer and more livable community!

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out and ask.

(If you can’t make it to all of the classes, don’t worry. Just come to the ones you can.)